New Delhi, India: In a move to cultivate a love for reading and enhance essential skills among students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced its annual Reading Challenge. Open to students from Classes 6 to 10 in CBSE-affiliated schools, the initiative aims to nurture critical thinking, comprehension, and information analysis abilities.
Two-Tier Challenge Format:
The competition will be conducted in two rounds:
Round 1: School-Level Offline Challenge (August 1-25):
- All CBSE schools are eligible to register their students for this round.
- Students from Classes 6 & 7 and 8 to 10 can participate in Hindi, English, or both languages.
- The registration window opens on August 1st, 2024, and closes on August 25th, 2024. Schools can register online at www.cbse.gov.in or www.cbseacademic.nic.in.
- On August 28th, 2024, question papers with scoring criteria will be uploaded on the CBSE portal for registered schools to download.
- Between August 28th and 31st, 2024, schools will conduct the Reading Challenge offline based on the downloaded papers.
- Each school will then identify their top 10 performers (two students from each class – VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X – for both Hindi and English challenges) based on the results.
- If there’s a tie for a top-ten spot, schools have the option to conduct an additional screening test to select the final participants.
Round 2: National Online Challenge (September 2-27):
- Schools that participated in Round 1 and registered students for Round 2 can compete in this online stage.
- Selected students will be registered by their schools for the online round between September 2nd and 17th, 2024.
- The national online Reading Challenge, a computer-based test, will be conducted from September 24th to 27th, 2024.
Rewards and Recognition:
- All participants who successfully reach Round 2 will receive an online participation certificate from the CBSE.
- Outstanding performers in the national online round will be awarded prestigious appreciation certificates, a valuable recognition for their reading prowess.
Quotes and Additional Information:
Dr. Praggya M. Singh, Director (Academics), CBSE, stated: “The CBSE Reading Challenge is a crucial initiative to promote a culture of reading among students. It not only strengthens their literacy skills but also equips them with critical thinking and analytical abilities that are essential for academic and overall success.”
Detailed instructions for conducting Round 1 and Round 2 activities will be provided only to schools that register their students for the challenge. The results of the national online round and the names of the winners will be announced on the CBSE Academic website.
For any queries and additional information, schools can contact the CBSE at cbse.reading.mission@cbseshiksha.in
This initiative presents a fantastic opportunity for students to:
- Develop stronger reading comprehension and accuracy skills.
- Enhance their ability to extract information from text and connect it to existing knowledge.
- Learn to critically analyze and evaluate what they read.
- Sharpen their logical reasoning and interpretation skills.
- Foster a lifelong passion for reading with understanding.
CBSE encourages all affiliated schools to actively participate in this enriching program and motivate their students to embrace the Reading Challenge!
